Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Picked up the not so healthy stuff lol,
Matt
Matt
Year of the elk 2.0
- Thread starter Duck-Slayer
- Start date
Hams42
Well-known member
Essentials
Are you taking your horse and pack goats this year?
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
I got out on my first pack goat/elk trip on Saturday morning.
Got to the trail head about 5:30pm, hiked till dark, hunting my way in. Saw a Doe Mule deer w a fawn, no elk heard or sited.
Following morning I was up early to oack up camp to get to my next location, about a 2.5 mile hike. Hunted my way there with no sightings or bugles. Arrived at new camp location about 10am. Got camp setup in an old outfitter/horse camp. Doesn’t look like anyone has used in awhile. Hunted around camp that evening. Fun fact this is the drainage I spotted that clubx6point from a couple years ago scouting my early deer tag. That thread should be in this forum below this thread.
All in all, it was a great second day in the mountains.
Matt
Got to the trail head about 5:30pm, hiked till dark, hunting my way in. Saw a Doe Mule deer w a fawn, no elk heard or sited.
Following morning I was up early to oack up camp to get to my next location, about a 2.5 mile hike. Hunted my way there with no sightings or bugles. Arrived at new camp location about 10am. Got camp setup in an old outfitter/horse camp. Doesn’t look like anyone has used in awhile. Hunted around camp that evening. Fun fact this is the drainage I spotted that clubx6point from a couple years ago scouting my early deer tag. That thread should be in this forum below this thread.
All in all, it was a great second day in the mountains.
Matt
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Nothing really to report for the second day. I woke up at about 530 and made coffee and had a little bit of breakfast before it got light out. Then about the time I got light out I heard one of my goats bleating quite loudly. Turns out this goat has the start of urinary calculate, so he has urinary stones blocking his urinary tract. I spent most of the next hour, trying to get him to pass them, rubbing his belly and flipping him on his back and kind of trying to get stuff loosened up. It did not happen, so I made the tough decision of getting camp all packed up and headed back to the truck to try to get him back home before I could not move him no more. I did however have to pull him all the way back, which now my hands hurt pretty bad from gripping the rope and pulling him the almost 6 miles back to the truck. Luckily most of it was downhill except for that first half mile climbing out of the hell hole I was in. So no more for my archery elk season. It’ll be my wife’s Wyoming rifle elk hunt on the next episode.
Matt
“King” 3.5 years old and in his prime, sad way for him to go.
Matt
“King” 3.5 years old and in his prime, sad way for him to go.
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Getting packed for my Wife’s rifle elk tag in Wyoming, Friday afternoon can’t come soon enough, 9 days in the backcountry! Yay
Matt
Matt
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Update, I took King in to get euthanized. But the veterinarian talked me into doing a procedure, since his bladder had not burst yet. So they basically cut the urinary track right below the butthole, and then drain it out the backside of him like a female goat. The veterinarian was not sure on how long that this would prolong his life, but he did pass all the stones that were blocking his urinary track when it wraps down and around his pelvis. And yes, I know there are a lot of jokes that could go along with this procedure. But he is alive and doing well, I will put him out with the other goats on Friday when I leave.
Matt
Lmartin5
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- Dec 23, 2025
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Great news!
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Wyoming!
Matt
Matt
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
4.5 miles yesterday, only deer so far. Sitting 3/4 the way up a mountain with the stove going this morning, drinking coffee!
Matt
Matt
Brittany Chukarman
Well-known member
Good luck,Mrs. Matt.
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Day 2, went on a 4 mile hike this morning, nice walk in the woods with my wife. No elk sign, side note I can’t believe how much thistle weeds are in the mountains here!
Afternoon nap
Then we moved camp south 2.3 miles to next drainage over. Nothing seen on this day.
Matt
Afternoon nap
Then we moved camp south 2.3 miles to next drainage over. Nothing seen on this day.
Matt
I bet those youngsters burn through some groceries
!!!!
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Day 3, Monday, rain delay - rained most of the day, didn’t do much, everyone was a little tired from the 7.3 miles yesterday. We did however, talk to, two backpack hunters that came from the saddle that we were going to crest the next day. He said there was a Guide camp right on the other side of the pass and he had five hunters in camp. So the night of day three we decided that we would go back to the truck and relocate to a different trailhead. And on that same day another forum member here shot a pretty nice 6 x 6 bull and said there was 2-5 points over there as well. So that was our plan to relocate over to the next mountain range and look for the 2, 5x5’s. We did however, see a very, very nice Shiras moose with two cows in the same meadow were camped next to.
Matt
- rained most of the day, didn’t do much, everyone was a little tired from the 7.3 miles yesterday. We did however, talk to, two backpack hunters that came from the saddle that we were going to crest the next day. He said there was a Guide camp right on the other side of the pass and he had five hunters in camp. So the night of day three we decided that we would go back to the truck and relocate to a different trailhead. And on that same day another forum member here shot a pretty nice 6 x 6 bull and said there was 2-5 points over there as well. So that was our plan to relocate over to the next mountain range and look for the 2, 5x5’s. We did however, see a very, very nice Shiras moose with two cows in the same meadow were camped next to.Matt
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Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Day 4 was the pack out back to the truck and a turn and burn pack back in. 4.3 miles to truck then a 45 min drive then a 2.3 mile super steep climb! It was tough on my wife and the goats 
Matt
Matt
Duck-Slayer
Well-known member
Day 5, we have gotten into a great routine of taking down and setting up camp! It’s really nice to have another hand to help, usually I’m solo and all the setup is on me. So so appreciate my wife!
We ended up packing in the other trailhead 2.9 miles. With the other 4.3 miles it was a long day, we slept well on night 4. Morning of day 5 we were both tired, we saddled the goats, brought 4 sets of empty panniers just in case. We eased down a finger ridge that looked good on OnX. We got about 3/4 miles from camp, found a perfect spot to cold call, grass for goats, open ridge in front of us, 2 dead logs to sit behind with a perfect rifle rest, full on set the whole rifle in and it’s rock steady. We were up at the top left of this opening setup.
I did 3-4 cow calls, it maybe was 3 minutes and a bull bugles less than a 100 yards down in the creek bottom. I peek up over the goats in front of us and sure enough a rut crazed bull was coming fast! I barely got my wife stood up with the rifle and I mewed to stop him on the ridge line, I said take him if you want. She was standing at this point and I was holding up the forearm of the gun as she was settling the crosshairs, she said “to high” lol I’m a bit taller than her. Whoops, I lower the forearm of the rifle, mere second went bye, BOOM
…. I had ranged where he stood 61 yards! Nice and close. She immediately asks “did I hit him”, I replied, “not sure, being that close there was no distinct smack of the bullet”. He turned and ran straight downhill after the shot, he disappeared behind some branches after about 50 yards. She was so excited, I loved the whole moment. I tried to calm her down, we both were aesthetic about how it all unfolded so fast! It’s was only a minute or two and we heard a distinct gurgle/growl, most of you know what that means, which I explained to my wife, she has never heard that sound since most of her shots are 200-400 yards, and rarely you can hear that sound so far. I knew already it was bull down, but I had to play let’s go look where he was standing and look for blood, made it maybe 10 yards from where he disappeared and …..
She was so excited, her first bull elk ever! She has been non stop saying I finally got horns!
Then the work began, he died in a swampy spot, I was sure glad for all the shade though, we spent the next 3 hours deboning and loading up in the panniers. I believe we did 50/50/50/37 lbs per goat of meat. Goats earned there keep, packing this bull out of that mini hell hole.
Such a great experience!
We hung the meat about 100 yards from camp, spent the afternoon/evening reminiscing and having a great time.
We packed back to the truck the following morning.
The following morning on the way out,
All the goats were loaded down, 50lbs each except the 1 only had the 37lbs.
Matt
We ended up packing in the other trailhead 2.9 miles. With the other 4.3 miles it was a long day, we slept well on night 4. Morning of day 5 we were both tired, we saddled the goats, brought 4 sets of empty panniers just in case. We eased down a finger ridge that looked good on OnX. We got about 3/4 miles from camp, found a perfect spot to cold call, grass for goats, open ridge in front of us, 2 dead logs to sit behind with a perfect rifle rest, full on set the whole rifle in and it’s rock steady. We were up at the top left of this opening setup.
I did 3-4 cow calls, it maybe was 3 minutes and a bull bugles less than a 100 yards down in the creek bottom. I peek up over the goats in front of us and sure enough a rut crazed bull was coming fast! I barely got my wife stood up with the rifle and I mewed to stop him on the ridge line, I said take him if you want. She was standing at this point and I was holding up the forearm of the gun as she was settling the crosshairs, she said “to high” lol I’m a bit taller than her. Whoops, I lower the forearm of the rifle, mere second went bye, BOOM
…. I had ranged where he stood 61 yards! Nice and close. She immediately asks “did I hit him”, I replied, “not sure, being that close there was no distinct smack of the bullet”. He turned and ran straight downhill after the shot, he disappeared behind some branches after about 50 yards. She was so excited, I loved the whole moment. I tried to calm her down, we both were aesthetic about how it all unfolded so fast! It’s was only a minute or two and we heard a distinct gurgle/growl, most of you know what that means, which I explained to my wife, she has never heard that sound since most of her shots are 200-400 yards, and rarely you can hear that sound so far. I knew already it was bull down, but I had to play let’s go look where he was standing and look for blood, made it maybe 10 yards from where he disappeared and …..She was so excited, her first bull elk ever! She has been non stop saying I finally got horns!
Then the work began, he died in a swampy spot, I was sure glad for all the shade though, we spent the next 3 hours deboning and loading up in the panniers. I believe we did 50/50/50/37 lbs per goat of meat. Goats earned there keep, packing this bull out of that mini hell hole.
Such a great experience!
We hung the meat about 100 yards from camp, spent the afternoon/evening reminiscing and having a great time.
We packed back to the truck the following morning.
The following morning on the way out,
All the goats were loaded down, 50lbs each except the 1 only had the 37lbs.
Matt
